May 20, 2008
C-USA going with red rover, red rover strategy?
I've read this article three times and I still can't determine if East Carolina AD Terry Holland is serious or not.
(Kinda like listening to Ross Perot back in the 1992 presidential debates, but I digress....)
SO, WHAT is Holland's idea for helping create more financial stability and rivalries in C-USA?It's an expansion from 12 to 16 or 18 teams. It's two divisions under one conference umbrella.
Umm... huh? Expand C-USA to two eight-team divisions? Yep... that's the plan.
"C-USA, as a new conference and with its geographic spread, can not possibly develop rivalries unless we play each team the maximum number of times in each sport," Holland said. "So playing the West Division teams sporadically does us no good at all."I would rather eliminate those games entirely and schedule geographic rivals instead or expand each division and let each division function as a 7-, 8- or 9-team conference under the C-USA banner."
...
Holland said in an expanded C-USA, divisional championships could be based on seven or eight divisional games and everyone would essentially play the same schedule each year. It also balances the competition.
Holland's idea isn't without merit. The revamped divisions would instill rivalries in a conference that is sorely lacking in rivalries, particularly in the East Division. While the West division has five teams in Texas and Oklahoma, the East division schools are spread throughout the Southeast. Given the current schedule and the geographic diversity, rivalries just haven't taken hold.
Another obvious benefit would be a potential savings in the travel budgets. In a league that stretches through three time zones, every $4.00 gallon of gas you can save adds up. Multiply that savings across 15 sports and you're talking about a substantial amount of money.
Holland also believes that by building true geographic rivalries, especially in the East, that the conference could put together a more appealing television package with a more engaged audience. I'm not convinced of that necessarily, as an ECU fan is going to watch ECU whether they are playing UTEP or Marshall, and a casual fan is probably not going to flip on ECU versus Western Kentucky (or any potential C-USA target) regardless.
But... while he's on a roll, just let him talk.
Hat Tip: Da Wiz
Comments:
Zac said:
posted on May 20, 2008 2:27 PM — 205.188.116.136 — link — abuse?
Let me see if I get this. ECU AD, Terry Holland, wants to see Conf. USA expand to 16, maybe 18 teams, split into 2 independent sub-conference divisions, and generate regional/geographic rivals. My, what an absolutely imaginative and original idea. I wonder if the Big East ever thought of it. (I wonder if Mr. Holland has been reading Fanblogs. Wat a country!!!)
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Porcine said:
posted on May 20, 2008 9:42 AM — 75.89.104.227 — link — abuse?I guess we'll wait and see who Tranghese takes, so we can speculate witch Sun Belt teams to add.